Bed pans, commode pots, sanitary slop pails and similar dejecta receivers require emptying and washing after each use. In the hospital and other institutional settings, sterilization is additionally necessary if they are to be safely used by different people. Such cleaning operations are time-consuming and expensive as specially trained personnel and equipment are required. There additionally exists the danger of transmission of disease or infection during the handling of receivers from the time they are used until they are emptied and sterilized.
Even in situations where the staff performing these duties are aware of the cautions to be taken, it is difficult to eliminate all contamination risks during the handling of receivers by various personnel. The shallow depth and large opening of most of receivers requires that extreme care be taken to maintain the receiver in a level position at all times.
Additional risks occur due to imperfect disinfection or sterilization. Improperly cleaned receivers may be handled by hospital staff and patients without following the careful procedures required for known contaminated receivers in the mistaken belief that no hazard exists.
The contamination risk is still greater in institutional settings outside the hospital, such as in retirement homes and infirmaries. In such locations there is often a lack of qualified staff and the special equipment necessary to keep the receivers in the required state of cleanliness.
In an attempt to meet these requirements, the prior art has suggested the use of protection articles for receivers in the form of disposable bags. However, up to the present, these bags have had certain problems and disadvantages in their use. They have been lacking from the standpoint of ease of use, economy in manufacture, and effectiveness in retaining the excreted material for preventing the spread of contamination.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved receiver protection article which may be closed tightly and watertight and possesses the ability to retain human waste materials until an attendant or other authorized person has an opportunity to dispose of the article and its contents. The article should additionally possess sufficient strength, especially wet strength, so that it may be removed from the receiver and carried to a place of disposal without rupturing. Finally, the article must meet all requirements for contact with humans and must be attractive and comfortable enough so there is no aversion to its use.
The protection article of the present invention effectively overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art disposable bags while meeting the aforementioned needs. Specifically, the article may be used as an interliner for receivers such as bedpans, providing a reduced risk of transmission of infection or disease while providing a convenience to institutional personnel, professional home attendants, and patients. The article specifically affords a very practical labor-saving expedience eliminating the need to clean and sterilize receivers.
Since the protection article can be quickly and easily closed, all noxious and unpleasant matter is confined within the article. This ability to effectively seal potentially infectious dejecta is of great significance when used with patients in hospitals or similar institutions, as it further reduces the likelihood of spreading bacterial infection and allows easier transportation of the article and receiver to a disposal area. Combined with the elimination of the requirement to sterilize the receiver, use of the article provides additional time for professional service personnel to better attend to the needs of their patents.